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After Saudi Arabia RTS purchased Evolution Championship Series (Evo) this week, fans took to the internet to blast the decision, and some have called the event dead.
Earlier in the week, Qiddiya City, Saudi Arabia’s RTS, announced its decision to purchase 100% of the Evolution Championship Series (Evo), the world’s most renowned fighting game competition, which was raised from the ground up as a grassroots, fan-organized tournament. As NODWIN Gaming exits co-ownership (PlayStation left as a co-owner in August 2025), it will continue to work with Evolution, focusing on marketing. Meanwhile, key leadership will remain in position to attempt to ensure consistency with the tournament’s legacy
At the time of purchase, CSO of the Qiddiya Investment Company, Muhannad AlDawood, said, “This is about investing in the future of play, and safeguarding what makes Evo special,” in the official announcement. The event started more than 20 years ago as a small, community-focused 40-person Super Street Fighter II Turbo and Street Fighter Alpha 2 tournament and has grown into a global sensation, with fans regarding it as the premier FGC (Fighting Game Community) event.
The now-Saudi-owned RTS was founded in 2021 and purchased by the Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC) in September 2025. The Qiddiya Investment Company is under the same umbrella as Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), and it has been busy this year. The PIF acquired a huge stake in Electronic Arts in 2025 and holds significant stakes in CAPCOM, Nexon, and Nintendo. Community Events like Evo were just the next step.
It has been nearly a week, and fans are still scathing about the decision. On forums like Reddit, fans have been quick to declare the event “dead” already. One fighting fan advises others to go to their local game shops for the fighting game community, saying, “I was already on my way out of Evo because I don’t like how corporate the scene has become. I don’t even want fighting games to be a scene anymore, just play and watch the games you like, give feedback that you care about, and growth will come organically.” With many fans echoing the sentiment, agreeing they don’t like how corporate and over-produced the event has become.
Other fans have even suggested ‘making their own community,’ rather than support what ‘Evo has become.’ Other fans have said they’ll still support CEO 2026 (another fighting game community-led tournament) and other events like Combo Breaker, which are both run by former Evo organizers. Many fans have already started to grieve the tournament, with one saying, “This is just the final nail in an already well-sealed coffin. Glad I got to go before the ticket became $200.” It’s worth noting that Evo tickets have been circling that price point since Sony and RTS outright purchased the event as co-owners in 2021.
While many fans are jaded regarding the purchase, it remains to be seen how ‘corporate’ things become. More information (and how to attend) can be found on the official tournament website.
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We’re still catching up on games from 2025, which is fine for me. January is usually pretty slow for big releases as everyone recovers from the holiday period with alcohol and copious amounts of food. I’ve been playing a bunch of games this month including Powerwash Simulator, that new Fantasy Life title, Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma, and a heavily modded playthrough of Cyberpunk 2077. It’s only my fifth playthrough of Cyberpunk after all, and I had to do something special for it. Seriously, play Cyberpunk 2077 with mods if you can.
As you can imagine, that’s a lot of gaming. However, I’ve not been idle with my game coverage and I have plenty of fun things planned! Today I’m featuring Angeline Era, a late bloomer in 2025 that I have greatly enjoyed my time with so far. It launched in December which was too late to hit my Top 10 criteria, but this is an impressive indie title by Analgenesic Productions that’s received solid reviews across the board. You can pick it up for around $25, which is a solid price for the package available. I haven’t had too much time with the game yet, so consider this an early impressions review for now. After a few hours with Angeline Era however, you can bet I’m going to play more.
At its heart, Angeline Era is a 3D action RPG that carries some solid inspiration from classics from the old days such as Zelda. The studio also made Anodyne and Sephonie, and the artistic style from those games carries over into this one. I was a big fan of Sephonie back when I played it, so it’s good to see studios succeed. Out of the three, Angeline Era is by far my favorite game they have released so far. Given the Overwhelmingly Positive reviews it currently holds on Steam, it seems a lot of people agree with that!
The story in this one is surprisingly captivating, as is the world design. Set in the fantasy realm of Era, you play as a former soldier called Tets Kinoshta who embarks on a journey to uncover a mysterious angel ship called the Throne, delving into the world of humans, angels, and fae with all the secrets and beauty. It’s an interesting story so far, and despite the lack of voice acting involved I’ve gotten invested in the characters.
The combat is an odd thing that reminds me of very old games such as the Ys series and (shudders) Hydelide. Angeline Era’s system is very simple. Instead of pressing an attack button, you strike enemies by walking into them, creating a fast-paced and fluid combat experience. Success hinges on careful positioning, timing, jumping, and evasion through movement. Additionally, you can employ ranged weapons and other tools to help turn the odds, especially when it comes to the boss battles. The first boss fight took me a long time to work out!
The biggest strength of Angeline Era for me however is the exploration, which is done in a really interesting way. While the overworld looks basic, the levels are hidden on the unmarked map, and they require a lot of work on the player to experiment and explore. There’s no time pressure either, so players can explore the world at their own pace. Dungeons, forests, mountains, mines, and towns are filled with traps, hazards, foes, and sometimes surprising encounters that blend humor with challenge. The writing is surprisingly good, and the lore is pretty nice as well.
Overall, Angeline Era seamlessly blends freeform exploration, inventive bump-based combat, and an atmospheric world into an action RPG that stands out for its personality, pace, and its encouragement of curiosity.
Veterum has brought me quite a lot of joy over the past few weeks! We’re halfway into January, and a lot is happening behind the scenes here. It is usually a slow start to the year for big releases, and it’s given me some spare time to play the games I’ve had knocking on my door. Veterum is one of those examples, and if you’re a fan of Battle Brothers, this is one game you don’t want to miss. It’s in Early Access right now with a fair amount of content and polish, and is available for $19.99.
At its core, Veterum is a dark fantasy tactical RPG. That is quite the mouthful, but we do need more games like this. The punishing turn-based combat is in full display, but this is a kinder game than the brutality of Battle Brothers. While the game is still challenging with plenty of planning needed to survive, it’s not quite as cruel to your squad as Battle Brothers.
There isn’t really a narrative to the game yet, with the sandbox gameplay the core of the content right now. A campaign is still in development, but is scheduled for release before 1.0. Despite the light story, I appreciate the world and setting of Veterum. Order of the Gatekeepers in a mysterious and perilous world on the brink of apocalypse. You lead a diverse force composed of humans, dwarves, elves, and wildmen, with plenty of opportunities to grow as a mercenary band. Veterum is focusing more on the gameplay than writing right now, and that’s fine with me.
The core gameplay loop is probably Veterum’s biggest strength, and you roam around the open world picking up quests, navigating tricky encounters, and dealing with environmental puzzles with some potent battles. Everything is procedurally generated with everyone’s favorite phrase, ‘no two playthroughs are the same. I’ve always disliked that with roguelike tags because it’s more often than not bollocks, but Veterum makes a decent swing at things. The battles, town resources, and quests change with every map, which does make things somewhat unpredictable, and all this feeds into the gameplay. The game does a good job of blending exploration with managing your growing army, and it made me care about my party and make careful decisions about where to go next.
The combat system is another key point, and I’m enjoying the careful balance between challenge and punishment. Combat takes place on a hex-grid and is turn-based, requiring careful positioning, thoughtful unit selection before a battle, and effective use of the environment. Factors such as morale, fatigue, line of sight, terrain, and weather all impact the outcome of fights, which I appreciate. Not everything is about having the most magic or blades. Environmental interactivity is another important part of combat, and you can deal with threats through cool things such as freezing rivers, building barricades to funnel enemies into kill zones, and so on. It’s pretty cool, and I wish more turn-based RPGs had more environment interactivity.
Despite the Early Access tag and lack of a full story right now, I feel Veterum is in a pretty good place already, with most of the core systems in place and plenty of content. There are even some impressive modding capabilities through the built-in unit and map editors, so that people can develop their own scenarios and worldspaces. I haven’t dabbled with this part of the game yet, as it’s an impressions review first, but I love games that do this.
To conclude, Veterum offers a rich strategy experience that’s impressive for an Early Access title. As I always stress with games in constant development, only buy an Early Access game if you feel the content and polish it currently has are enough, rather than buying based on a hypothetical future. If getting beaten down in Battle Brothers got you down (awesome game though!), and if you want something a bit more experimental, I can easily recommend Veterum.
Tumor Necrosis Factor: Amen is an arcade-inspired rail shooter where you tear through decaying Earth as a mutant half-worm.
In Tumor Necrosis Factor: Amen, Angels once protected Earth as the planet’s white blood cells until the Shepherd Biosciences Corporation unleashed an otherworldly plague. Now Earth drowns under an ocean of blood as worms feed upon its gangrenous corpse. The few remaining seek “Rapture” – … Read More
The post Tumor Necrosis Factor: Amen – Beta Demo first appeared on Alpha Beta Gamer.
John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando is a 4-player co-op FPS where you obliterate hordes of terrifying monsters to save the world.
In John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando you’ll gather your squad and send the Sludge God and its undead horde back to hell. Jump in with fellow commandos online for pure co-op chaos – revive teammates, share ammo, cover backs, and laugh through the madness. When infected … Read More
The post John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando – Beta Demo first appeared on Alpha Beta Gamer.
Denshattack! is a fast-paced and wonderfully silly game where you flip, trick, and grind your gravity-defying train through a colorful Japanese dystopia.
In Denshattack!, hop aboard your custom train and embark on a hectic quest to defeat the sinister Miraidō corporation alongside a vibrant pack of outcasts. Ollie, kickflip, and grind through Japan’s biggest cities, meadows, volcanoes, and oceans. Rack up points chasing high … Read More
The post Denshattack! – Beta Demo first appeared on Alpha Beta Gamer.
INFERIUS is a first-person roguelike deckbuilder blending Dante’s Inferno with Lovecraftian horror across the nine levels of hell.
In INFERIUS, use Major Arcana Tarot Cards to strategize against horrors lurking in darkness. Build the perfect deck, challenge rulers embodying sins of their dominions – Limbo, Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Anger, Heresy, Violence, Fraud, and Treachery – die often, and repeat.
Pre-strategize and enhance cards before … Read More
The post INFERIUS – Beta Sign Up first appeared on Alpha Beta Gamer.